Refuse Who I Dislike
by Mara Greengrass
Summary: A missing scene from Post Partum.


TITLE: Refuse Who I Dislike   
SUMMARY: A missing scene from "Post Partum"  
CONTINUITY: This is not connected to my OT3 series.  
DISCLAIMER: The setting and characters belong to Tanya Huff, Lifetime TV, a production company or two, and pretty much anyone who isn't me.  
NOTES: I can't believe the show didn't include something like this!

* * *

Coreen dropped her clanking load of iron into the backseat of Mike's car and slid into the front seat barely in time as he shot out of the police station parking lot, narrowly avoiding several cars trying to pull in. She looked like she was about to say something about that, but Mike suspected his expression was forbidding enough that she changed midstream.

"Henry's going to meet us there," she said.

"Hmmph." Mike skidded around the corner, gripping the steering wheel so hard he thought he might be leaving fingerprints.

Slumping down in her seat, Coreen said, "What is it with you guys?"

Mike shook his head. "If you don't know, I'm not going to explain."

"No, I mean I know it's all about Vicki and I'm totally down with the whole romantic aspect of the two of you both in love with her, but it's getting old."

"Sorry."

"Uh-huh." She blithely ignored his tone. "I can't believe Vicki's held out this long, anyway. Henry's got the whole powerful creature of the night--"

"Coreen." They screamed through a yellow light as it turned red.

"Uh..." She looked at him. "Right. Shutting up now."

* * *

Tires squealed as Mike parked the car in the shady alcove a few blocks from the clinic that he and Vicki had staked out as the best hiding spot for surveillance purposes. His mind churned with all the things that could be going wrong inside the clinic right now and his stomach was a ball of fear. Damn it, he should have made her leave. If they'd laid a single hand on her...

As he opened the car door, Henry materialized out of the shadows, face tight with a fear and anger that matched his own. "No abnormal sounds. Women talking, some banging that could be anything," he said shortly.

"If Vicki were in immediate danger, she'd be making noise."

"Agreed," Henry said, with a twitch of a grin. "I'll go find her."

Coming around the front of the car, Mike lifted a tire iron out of Coreen's bag. "No. You're a civilian and I'm a cop. I'm going in."

"Don't be ridiculous," Henry said, grabbing his arm. "The place is locked up tight. I run faster and I can go places you can't."

Mike jerked his arm away, knowing that Henry had let him go. "But I already know the building layout."

"So tell me where she is. Besides, what are you going to do against ancient evil like a schwarzenelfen? Wave your badge and try to arrest it?"

"You planning to seduce it instead? Be my guest. I hear dark elves are great in bed."

Coreen groaned. "Hey, we don't have time for this! Vicki's in there, remember?"

But I don't want him to save Vicki, Mike thought. Then he felt like an idiot. Teeth grinding with the need to bash in every door until he found her, he said, "Her room is in the first floor, west wing, eighth in from the back of the building. There are sensors set at knee height sweeping out to twenty feet. Two guards, one back, one front, very inattentive."

Henry looked him in the eye. "I'll get her out." And he was gone in a blink.

Raising the tire iron, Mike gave a practice swing and nodded, setting off for the clinic at a jog. "Stay there," he said to Coreen. "If Vicki gets out herself, she might come here to look for me."

"Where are you going?" Coreen called.

"To make sure they both get out of there safely. I am a cop, after all."

Behind him, he could hear Coreen's groan. "Men."

* * *

When it was all over, Coreen dragged Vicki off to interrogate her about something, leaving Mike and Henry standing awkwardly on the front lawn. Henry looked like he wanted to stage a disappearing act but couldn't quite manage it with so many ambulances and police cars.

Mike desperately wanted to disappear to, but there was something he had to do first. If he could manage it. There was a nasty taste in his mouth as he turned to Henry. "So."

That got him an arrogant look. "So." Henry crossed his arms.

Mike reminded himself it needed to be said. "I wanted to thank you. For going in to help Vicki."

"She's quite welcome," Henry said with a grin.

Mike gritted his teeth and kept going. "I know Vicki's not always grateful. But I'm...glad she has someone looking out for her."

Henry considered him for a long moment. "Thank you for your assist in the hallway."

"You're welcome."

There was an awkward silence.

"I still don't like you," Mike said.

"The feeling's entirely mutual."

--end--


End file.
